5 of 11The ZL1 is distinguished by different wheels, front clip, spoiler and hood.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

6 of 11The truck is good sized, the opening however, is not.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

7 of 11Quad exhaust tips exit the rear of the ZL1.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

8 of 11Several wheel options are offered.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

9 of 11At the center of the ZL1 is a 6.2-liter supercharged V8.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

10 of 11The ZL1 has one of the best-looking GM interiors we've seen in years.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

11 of 11The ZL1 has embroidered seats.

Photo by Patrick Alfes

SENIOR ONLINE EDITOR RORY CARROLL: First, this is the first Chevrolet Camaro since the 2009 reboot that I have found even somewhat good-looking. The body kit and trim, when combined with white paint, were very effective in reducing the Camaro's perceived size, which is my primary sticking point with the design. All non-ZL1 Camaros of the current generation look massive.

The interior, both in terms of materials and design, feels special and I think for a car like this, it should. That's not to say it should be over-lux or really novel. It is a Camaro after all.

I did have the opportunity to push the Camaro in a closed environment. I will generally echo the sentiments of most of the people who have reviewed it. The car is very fast in a straight line. The steering was well suited to the chassis, and the wide tires provided plenty of grip. It felt like a car that would be very fast on a road-course—which brings me to my next point.

Its best performance feature might be its five-mode traction control system. In wet mode, the car felt almost all-wheel-drive stable in heavy rain. In every mode after that, a bit more slip was available and the adjustability was useful. The least intrusive traction control mode—Track—provided more than enough slide for track use, and I'd suspect that most drivers would be much faster on a track with the traction control on.

However, with the traction control all the way off, this car's shortcomings were readily apparent. First, it is very, very heavy. When the massive reserves of grip finally run out, it might as well be a pickup truck.

Second, its tendency to snap into oversteer more violent than I was capable of controlling was unnerving. On throttle, it was easy to induce a gentle, controllable drift. But, lift too soon and it becomes apparent why Chevy installed such massive rubber and such a great traction control system. This is a big, heavy car.

Non-heroes like me are well advised to leave at least one of the five electronic safety nets in place.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR BOB GRITZINGER: For a lot of enthusiasts, just getting behind the wheel of a Camaro ZL1 for a drive around the block would be a treat. But as a driver who has been clutch-limited by an Achilles tendon injury for most of the past 12 months, this six-speed manual tranny ZL1 is possibly the most entertaining car I've driven since last summer.

It starts from the turn of the key, the ignition setting off a raucous chorus from under the hood and resonating through the exhaust system. That rumble alone was enough to flood my brain with memories of teenage years spent (misspent?) shaking windows and rattling doors driving various Detroit muscle machines. This one comes close to the effect produced back then by a big-block Pontiac Firebird V8 muffled only by a pair of glass packs.

Even better than the days of yore is what happens when this beast is unleashed, punched into Race mode, and let off the tether. The giant rubber positively claws at the pavement, providing serious grip even as the power strives to break them loose from the effects of gravity and friction. Shifts and clutch action are solid and mechanical, providing bang-bang response under hard driving. Equally impressive is the car's response at speed—just punching the accelerator at 70 mph in sixth gets you 95 in no time. Downshift and that response comes quicker than you can think, so be ready.

Ride and handling are also impressive, especially the docile ride that Touring mode induces compared to the razor's edge running that comes in tandem with the nanny-less Race mode. Steering seems a little numb in Touring, but tightens and picks up every nuance in the Sport modes. Though the car seems like it could bite like a Viper, power drifts are relatively easy to manage, with the car snapping smartly back into line once play time is over and you ease up on the power pedal.

Unbelievably good work by the performance people at GM here on the Camaro ZL1. Oh, and it looks killer, too.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I'm normally a Mustang guy, but when it comes to the super-duper variants of Ford and Chevrolet pony cars, I'm going to have to tip my hat in the direction of the Camaro ZL1.

Why is that? For the most part, it comes down to the magnetic suspension on the ZL1 compared to the Mustang's comparatively primal setup that features a live rear axle. In the Mustang GT and Boss 302, it works well enough and I would take those over the competing Camaro, but when you're talking about controlling 662 hp in the Shelby GT500, it just doesn't work that well.

If you're just looking for a straight-line terror, then the Shelby is your car. However, if you enjoy road courses at all and prefer to have a more complete car, the ZL1 is the car you want. Yes, the Shelby boys will be able to make fun of you for having 82 hp and 75 lb-ft of torque less than them and weighing 268 pounds more. And the Mustang's steering is more direct and responsive to inputs, but in all other areas the Camaro ZL1 wins.

Out on a race track, the ZL1 will feel better planted in turns when you stiffen the suspension and have the traction aids in race mode. Getting the power down is a more manageable task, and the rear end won't get upset by bumps.

For the times when you just want to take it easy and roll around town in relative comfort, the suspension has a tour mode for very comfortable ride comfort to take the edge off of ruts and potholes. And I do have to say that the microfiber-covered dash trim does a nice job breaking up the acres of hard plastic that make up the dashboard, and it's also nice to have on the steering wheel, shift knob and seat inserts.

The supercharged LSA V8 has an ear-pleasing exhaust note and delivers instant and consistent push throughout the rev range. Finding gears in the six-speed manual gearbox is easy enough, but I would prefer a slightly crisper shift feel. You can detect some steering wheel shake and it could use a more direct feel from the variable-assisted electric power steering system.

So the Camaro ZL1 is not without its flaws, but none of the flaws bother me nearly as much as the Shelby GT500's jumpy rear end that seems like it's waiting to kill you around ever corner. I'm all for a raw driving experience, but in this case, the ZL1's better suspension hardware and overall refinement wins me over.

Rory Carroll
- Rory Carroll is a graduate of Michigan State University, a concours d’elegance and vintage-racing hanger-on and a past winner of the Index of Effluency Trophy at the 24 Hours of LeMons.
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